Rent Madfabulous (2026)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- When the flamboyant Henry Paget (Callum Scott Howells) arrives in 1890's North Wales to claim his aristocratic inheritance, his theatrical flair and defiant eccentricities send shockwaves through the upper-class elite, much to the amusement of the local townspeople. Alongside his spirited cousin, Lily (Ruby Stokes), and loyal butler, Gelert (Rupert Everett), Henry tries to carve out his own identity as the Fifth Marquess, navigating suffocating traditions, scheming relatives, and the long shadow cast by his estranged father.
- Actors:
- Rupert Everett, Greta Jones, Ruby Stokes, Louis Hynes, Louise Brealey, Callum Scott Howells, Siobhan McSweeney, Ben Crystal, Paul Rhys, Dylan Jones, Kevin Eldon, Steve Speirs, Roger Evans, Lisa Jen Brown, John Pierce Jones, Eri Jackson, Nia Auerbach, Julian Lewis Jones, Kate Drew, Clara Paget
- Directors:
- Celyn Jones
- Producers:
- Nadia Jaynes, Sean Marley
- Writers:
- Lisa Baker
- Studio:
- Icon
- Genres:
- Drama
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 20/07/2026
- Run Time:
- 108 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.39:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Exclusive Behind the Scenes Bonus Feature
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Reviews (1) of Madfabulous
Fascinating, if Flawed, Lavishly Colourful Biopic of a Flamboyant Taffy Toff in Lush 1890s Wales. - Madfabulous review by PV
I enjoyed this. Not a brilliant film, or profound, but just roll with it and go with the flow, breathing in the lavish costumes, sparkling jewels and lovely countryside and castles/mansions with your eyes, and you'll enjoy it.
I knew about Paget, partly from antiques shows, and he's quite the most famous person connected with the Welsh island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn in the Welsh language commonly spoken in rural and north Wales) - Lemmy from Motorhead is maybe the 2nd most famous as his preacher dad moved there with young Ian who must have stood out with his English accent in what is now a very monocultural Welsh-speaking rural place, reliant on tourism (often from nearby north-west England, Liverpool etc).
Biopics need a focus, a structure - so they need 3 acts, plot points, jeopardy/dramatic tension, and a baddie to fight. All this is here, some more effective than others.
What grates and really annoys is the parachuting of a black girl into this story. There was not one. Even now, Wales is 94% white and Anglesey almost 100%. BUT to get FFILM CYMRU funding and BFI options, they now demand (blackmail...) film producers into focusing on certain themes (race, gender etc) and all productions MUST have X% of BAME faces and women. Fine, in theory, In practice, it spoils things. Only one colourblind casting face parachuted in from the woke skies here. BUT WHY? No reason for it APART from getting state funding and being able to get nominated for BAFTAs. Not as bad as LADY MACBETH (2016) but... Predictably the baddies are all white males...
Having read up on Paget's life, I also realise the stuff with his ally cousin wife in nonsense too. In reality she left him after 6 months. BUT to get funding, films now must have 'strong women' characters. It's forced and wrong and silly.
So, apart from that eye-rolling wokery, is it a good film? Yes, overall. Not brilliant, though and not profound, despite claims of making Paget a transgender hero for our times. However, possibly the strongest thing is the lavish costumes and jewels, though the actors in main roles do well too, esp the one who plays the entitled pampered aristocrat himself. Not sure if I can quite believe how tolerant the locals were too him - he had power and wealth, and spent his cash in their shops, so... no wonder they were friendly to him.
Almost 3 stars but 3.5 rounded up. The landscape is lovely in Wales too - all filmed in the north of the nation, produced in the south.